Rednecktek
Solar Wizard
So I could use some input on stepping up my cabin's power game. I have 2 separate systems up there now, a 12v system and a 120v system independent system. The 12v bus feeds lights, stove exhaust fan, and the 2 diesel heaters so it's completely separate from the 120v side.
Current 12v config:
4x DC29 Wally World 122Ah FLA batteries
EPEver 30a SCC
2x 205w panels in series
If you look at the picture of my system below, you can see the 12v bank on the bottom shelf taking up a good chunk of it. On the right side is the rackmount size 5Kw 24v battery I built for the 120v system. I also managed to snag a pair of the 24v battery bundles to make a couple more batteries to put up there, but now I've got a physics issue. The new batteries are too wide to sit in the shelf between the 12v bank and the LFP by a couple inches.
Here's the real BIG kicker in all this though, it's below freezing up there for months on end and I'll absolutely NEED to have the 12v bus working in the cold and function unattended. I can't have the 12v system shut off or die because it got too cold.
So I was thinking, if I got a heated battery kit from SunFunKits and built a single battery to replace the entire 12v FLA bank, that would free up space for another LFP battery under the shelf. It would cost me about $1000 between the kit and the cells which is a pretty big chunk of money but it could be my capital funds project for the next trip.
So, in a nutshell, is it worth it to replace the FLA bank with a $1000 battery to make space or would the FLA be the better option because of the cold?
As a side note, enclosing, insulating, and heating the utility room would be a MASSIVE cost in materials and manpower that I don't have any time soon. It's on the To-Do list but I only get a couple weeks a year on average and if it's not something I can do on my own, it's going to be REALLY hard to do, so it's not an option.
Current 12v config:
4x DC29 Wally World 122Ah FLA batteries
EPEver 30a SCC
2x 205w panels in series
If you look at the picture of my system below, you can see the 12v bank on the bottom shelf taking up a good chunk of it. On the right side is the rackmount size 5Kw 24v battery I built for the 120v system. I also managed to snag a pair of the 24v battery bundles to make a couple more batteries to put up there, but now I've got a physics issue. The new batteries are too wide to sit in the shelf between the 12v bank and the LFP by a couple inches.
Here's the real BIG kicker in all this though, it's below freezing up there for months on end and I'll absolutely NEED to have the 12v bus working in the cold and function unattended. I can't have the 12v system shut off or die because it got too cold.
So I was thinking, if I got a heated battery kit from SunFunKits and built a single battery to replace the entire 12v FLA bank, that would free up space for another LFP battery under the shelf. It would cost me about $1000 between the kit and the cells which is a pretty big chunk of money but it could be my capital funds project for the next trip.
So, in a nutshell, is it worth it to replace the FLA bank with a $1000 battery to make space or would the FLA be the better option because of the cold?
As a side note, enclosing, insulating, and heating the utility room would be a MASSIVE cost in materials and manpower that I don't have any time soon. It's on the To-Do list but I only get a couple weeks a year on average and if it's not something I can do on my own, it's going to be REALLY hard to do, so it's not an option.